Editing is rewriting previous work that you find unnecessary or in need of altering. Change occurs throughout our lives, so it seems improbable that anything we create wouldn’t also undergo it. Hemingway once wrote “The first draft of anything is always shit” but what does he know? He only won like, one Nobel and the Pulitzer.
He leapt from the second floor of the building and landed heavily on his ankle, probably breaking it, before rolling and getting up into a run towards the black Charger parked a few metres away.
The above sentence works, grammatically anyway, but is way too long to convey the urgency of this scene. However this sentence;
He leapt from the second floor and landed hard onto the ground, a sharp pain spiking up his leg. The landing became a roll and then a sprint for the park car nearby.
By splitting it into two sentences and keeping the descriptions short and to the point, they convey the same message and give a better sense of urgency.
Try not to worry if;
If you end up rewriting the entire novel because you got a better idea halfway through
Have all these ideas and stories but are too nervous or otherwise to write them down because you’re worried about how it’ll look
If you think there are too many familiar tropes in your work
Or if your piece resembles a similar concept that someone else already tried.
At the end of the day it’s your story, told in your style. Don’t be afraid to proof read, ask a friend or colleague for help or if you get writer’s block. Editing is mainly used to better your work so any mistakes only make the end result look that much more fantastic.
Good luck. And may the pen be ever in your favour.
-DS
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